Devotional for Friday May 6th

Our theme for this month: “Taking care of your soul.”

Our Bible verse for today: “This is what the Lord says … Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths; ask where the good way is and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Your soul needs rest.”

Lance Witt is a devotional writer who sometimes contributes to the weekly Focus on the Family “Thriving Pastor” devotional series. The one I received from them yesterday was particularly good and deals with our theme for the month. So today I’m going to borrow from some of what Lance shared in that message.

In Jeremiah 6:16 the Lord tells us to “stand” at the crossroads. If we do that we will find the “good way” and it will lead us to a place of rest for our souls. Implicit in the word “stand” is the idea that you have to “stop”. Stopping and standing go hand in hand. This is a critical understanding for someone who wants to have a healthy soul. Jesus regularly took time to stop, to be quiet, to spend time with the Father.

The fact is that we cannot live life at warp speed without warping the soul in the process. If we fill our lives with unending frantic activity, if we’re constantly and breathlessly hurrying from one appointment to another, one task to another, there is no opportunity for our soul to simply rest in the Father’s presence. Jeremiah 6:16 tells us to stop and rest. Psalm 23:2-3 tells us that it is when we “lie down” in green pastures and beside quiet waters that He “restores my soul”. In Matthew 11:28-30 the invitation is to come to the Lord and spend time with Him so He can give rest to the weary soul and lift from us the burdens of life.

Back in Jeremiah 6:16 we find ourselves at a crossroads, two paths from which one must be chosen. One will lead us down the road of continued frantic activity. The other leads us to rest for the soul. A decision must be made, a path chosen. This is a choice each of us must make every day. The soul needs rest, it needs nourishment, and that rest and nourishment will only be found in the Lord, and it will only come to us once we stop, stand, and yes, rest.

Your soul needs rest. It needs a break from the activity and the noise. It needs time just sitting quietly and being with God. I encourage you to make time for that today. Your soul will be healthier, you will feel better, and you’ll find that everything else in life is a little easier to deal with.

God Bless,